MSCA-PF: Joint application at the University of Granada. Department of Physiology.
Professor Laura Vera Ramírez, from the Department of Physiology at the University of Granada, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) in 2026 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule (for more information about the 2026 call, please consult this link).
Brief description of the institution:
The University of Granada (UGR), founded in 1531, is one of the largest and most important universities in Spain. With more than 57,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and almost 7,000 members of staff, the UGR offers 97 undergraduate degrees, 157 master’s degrees (7 of which are double degrees) and 28 doctoral programmes via its 124 departments and nearly 50 centers. Accordingly, the UGR offers one of the most extensive and diverse ranges of higher education programmes in Spain.
The UGR has been awarded with the "Human Resources Excellence in Research (HRS4R)", which reflects the institution’s commitment to continuously improve its human resource policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The UGR is also internationally renowned for its excellence in diverse research fields and ranked among the top Spanish universities in a variety of ranking criteria, such as national R&D projects, fellowships awarded, publications, and international funding.
The UGR is one of the few Spanish Universities listed in the Shanghai Top 500 ranking - Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). The 2025 edition of the ARWU places the UGR in 301-400th position in the world and as the 3-8 highest ranked University in Spain, reaffirming its position as an institution at the forefront of national and international research. From the perspective of specialist areas in the ARWU rankings, the UGR is outstanding in Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Dentistry & Oral Sciences (ranked between 51th-75th position), Computer Science & Engineering, Education and Hospitality & Tourism Management (between 76-100th position), and in the areas of Food Science & Technology and Business Administration (between 101-150th position). A little lower in the ranking, the UGR also stands out in the areas of Earth Sciences, Law, Management, Nursing, Psychology and Statistics, in which the UGR is positioned in the 151-200th position.
Additionally, the UGR counts with 4 researchers at the top of the Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list, most of them related to the Computer Science and Mathematics scientific areas. It is also well recognised for its presence in the top 200 Universities in Europe at 83th place.
Internationally, the University of Granada is firmly committed to its participation in the calls of the Framework Programme of the European Union. For the duration of the prevoius Framework Programme, Horizon 2020, the UGR obtained a total of 124 projects with a total funding of more than €30 million. For the current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, the UGR has obtained 136 projects, so far, with a total funding of more than €38 million.
Brief description of the Centre/Research Group:
The Tumor Dormancy Lab at the University of Granada focuses on understanding cancer dormancy, particularly how tumor cells enter and exit from dormant states, and the implications for relapse and metastasis. The research team combines molecular and cell biology, and translational oncology to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved. Their goal is to uncover therapeutic targets that prevent tumor reawakening. The team includes experts in cancer biology and is led by researchers with strong academic backgrounds. More details: Tumor Dormancy Lab.
Project description:
Metastases are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, yet our understanding of this stage of the disease—and consequently, therapeutic options—remains limited. However, recent advances in high-throughput genomic and proteomic technologies have begun to reveal the complexity of the biological processes driving cancer, highlighting the need for a Systems Biology approach to its study.
Recent studies have shown a strong interplay between the tumor microenvironment and intrinsic cellular processes—such as autophagy and de novo lipogenesis—in the survival of disseminated tumor cells. These cells may remain dormant for extended periods or shift into a proliferative state, forming active metastatic lesions over time. This project proposes to investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate tumor dormancy and metastasis in breast cancer, with a specific focus on lipid metabolism in disseminated metastatic cells. To accomplish this, the project will leverage cutting-edge technologies in high-content imaging and cellular biology, along with in vitro and in vivo models of tumor dormancy and metastasis, spatial proteomics, advanced bioinformatics, and functional validation studies. The goal is to identify key molecular processes involved in tumor progression, which could become novel therapeutic targets for high-risk, recurrent, and poor-prognosis breast cancer. As such, this project has the potential to open new avenues in translational cancer research.
Research Area:
- Life Sciences (LIFE)
For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Laura Vera Ramírez (lvera@ugr.es):
- CV
- Letter of recommendation (optional)
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